Your Mandela Effect moment

[StockpotSoup]

I posted about mine on here a while back… it was about two celebrities that I distinctly remembered were supposed to have dated, but there’s literally nothing about in online, and no one here remembered either (and even found proof that one half of the supposed couple was married to someone else at the time!)

Have you had a Mandela Effect moment? And, when you realised you’d misremembered something, how did you react? My instinct was to look for logic explanations (e.g. I’d misunderstood a denial of a rumoured relationship). However, when I look at these things online, I’m amazed by how many people will accept literally any other explanation than “I was wrong”.

One that particularly fascinates me is around a film called Shazam. Countless people claim they can remember it, that they used to watch it all the time when they were kids… yet it doesn’t exist. When you read into it, it actually becomes quite obvious how it happened: there was a film called Kazaam that came out around the same time with the exact plot they describe, and Sinbad - the actor/comedian they believe starred as a genie in Shazam - starred in a series of TV ads as a genie around the same time. Yet thousands utterly refuse to believe that there’s no such film.

Anyone got any good examples?

If you’re interested in this sort of thing, the Shazam one is fascinating. The most common theory is that Sinbad, the star of the non-existent film, has somehow had it suppressed because he’s embarrassed by it. If you ever ask why no one can produce a VHS copy they owned as a child, apparently he’s got all those too, because “Big stars have a lot of power”.

Now if you’re wondering “Who the fuck is Sinbad?”, you’re not alone. He used to be in a show called A Different World (a spin-off from The Cosby Show) and, like a lot of sitcom stars, got the odd movie out of it. Basically he was B bordering on C-lost even when he was famous. The other key point about him is that, at one point, he owed over $1m in taxes. If he had the power to make things disappear, you’d think he’d have started with that bill, right?

But no - people STILL believe he masterminded a giant cover-up. The best bit is that Sinbad’s now playing up to it. He made a video saying he did get the film suppressed, that he was able to get copies out of private ownership because he’s “ex-military and had connections”, and that it wasn’t a problem to get through gaps in windows or down chimneys to do it because “I had to do a lot of yoga to get into that little lamp” 😆

Amazingly, there are people who’ve taken this as proof!

Ah but Smiths crisps had the colours the other way round and they were equally popular then.

Ooh I know Sinbad from Jingle all the Way, I don’t remember Shazam though (obviously 🤣)

That's pickled onion, isn't it? You can still get them.

I remember that episode too!

I’m with you on this… wonder if it was another brand?

I do wonder if I’m shouting into the void sometimes.

Early 80s, Walkers were a small brand, Smiths and Golden Wonder dominate. All brands had the colours the other way around to Walkers.
Walkers become the dominant brand, young children and people not paying attention become confused as the flavour they like is now in a different colour pack.

Tell me you're not reading any of the posts on the thread without ......😂

I distinctly remember Elliott Gould dying, and I couldn't believe it when he was in the Friends reunion show 😳
He's still alive, and I almost refuse to believe it 😅

The John Denver thing - you might be remembering not his death (obvs) but his divorce from Annie (of 'Annie's Song') in 1982. Denver revealed his sense of loss in an interview in 1983.

I think it's funny that your childhood would involve multiple mentions of John Denver, what's the story behind that?

Shazzan was a cartoon series in the late 1960s with a genie, by Hanna-Barbera. There were only 18 episodes, apparently. It has a wiki page and everything, which is good, as I remember seeing it as a little kid after school on 'children's hour'!

I think golden wonder were that way round not walkers.

In the olden days, before the advent of Walkers, there were crisp brands called Smiths and Golden Wonder. Both companies used blue for salt and vinegar and green for cheese and onion. Then Walker came along and changed it all up, leading to confusion, Mandela Effects, looting, paranoia, conspiracy theories and all round nonsense.

I have a very strong memory of my third pregnancy, we had announce it just before my SIL had a baby and I have a really strong memory of OH's gran finding out when we were in SIL's house meeting the baby- I can remember it vividly, showing her the scan photo and everything but everyone else remembers it being weeks earlier, in a different house, before the baby was born- really weird!

For the crisps one I remember a big advertising campaign for walkers, would have been early 90's most likely because I was born in 86 and there was a big thing made about the different colours.

My weirdest one was Fidel Castro- I was convinced he was still alive until a few years ago (maybe 2019), and that everyone suspected he was dead but that it was being covered up then I found out he died in 2016- I have absolutely no memory of that happening at that time, and its something I would have been aware of.

Missing the point of the thread but I always vaguely remembered the premise of a kids tv show and I could not for the life of me remember the name of it, when I searched I couldn’t find it. Anyway it’s dungeon and dragons! That’s been bothering for the last 18 years!!!! Thank you!

My Mandela effect I’m only aware of because of having chats about this before. I was convinced that the monopoly man wore a monocle, he doesn’t but I’m not sure why I’ve always pictured him with one 🤷‍♀️

Mine is from Ted Lasso - I was convinced Dr Sharon died after her bike accident - I distinctly remembered her dying from a head injury after Ted had left her in the flat - so watching it again I was geared up for a sad moment - and she didn't die - so odd because I really did remember it!

I was convinced that the monopoly man wore a monocle, he doesn’t but I’m not sure why I’ve always pictured him with one

You're thinking of The Penguin from Batman. Similar outfit.

Shazam is definitely a movie now! But from 2019.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazam!_(film)

Spring Onion are still available now, it turns out!

https://www.poundland.co.uk/golden-wonder-fully-flavoured-spring-onion-6-x-25g?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8sauBhB3EiwAruTRJjFLT9lJKVu9P6WQQqt2EQf8dRGEQP8Ad7NI_Jmd3eaauH6sEN-zsRoCzR0QAvD_BwE

😂 I can offer no explanation.

Im actually smiling to myself at the notion of your family chats about Mr Denver, so funny 🤣

I'm also sure John Denver died decades ago. I 'recall' hearing it on the radio!

The weirdest one for me is that Danielle Steele is actually called Danielle Steel. It's very strange.